Objectives

This study examined the cost-effectiveness of general and targeted strategies for residential radon testing and mitigation in the United States.

Methods

A decision-tree model was used to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of preventing radon-associated deaths from lung cancer.

Results

For a radon threshold of 4 pCi/L, the estimated costs to prevent I lung cancer death are about $3 million (154 lung cancer deaths prevented), or $480000 per life-year saved, based on universal radon screening and mitigation, and about $2 million (104 lung cancer deaths prevented), or $330 000 per life-year saved, if testing and mitigation are confined to geographic areas at high risk for radon exposure.

For mitigation undertaken after a single screening test and after a second confirmatory test, the estimated costs are about $920000 and $520000, respectively, to prevent a lung cancer death with universal screening and $130 000 and $80 000 per life-year for high risk screening.

The numbers of preventable lung cancer deaths are 811 and 527 for universal and targeted approaches, respectively.